British Columbia will contribute $300,000 for the next phase of a study exploring the potential of ultra-high-speed Cascadia corridor transportation service linking British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.

B.C. Premier John Horgan joined Washington Governor Jay Inslee in Washington state to make the announcement Thursday as part of a two-day trip to improve connectivity and strengthen ties between the two regions.

B.C. already contributed $300,000 last March for a business case analysis to explore ridership levels, project delivery methods, cost and financing for the proposed project. The results of this analysis are expected later this year.

The additional contribution announced Thursday for the next phase will explore models for a multi-jurisdictional authority to lead a community engagement process and preliminary environmental review.

“Gov. Inslee and I recognize the enormous potential for growth in our region to deliver strong, sustainable economic development, create good jobs and a better future for people on both sides of the border,” said Horgan. “Improving transportation connectivity is a critically important part of the path forward, and we’re going to keep working together to seize opportunities and strengthen the relationship between Washington state and B.C.”

He said he envisions high-speed rail running from Seattle to B.C.’s Lower Mainland, with a terminus in Surrey that would connect to public transportation infrastructure to take riders to Vancouver’s airport, the city’s downtown core and the Fraser Valley.

“Our Cascadia region has the critical mass of a growing population, the muscle mass of a strong economy and the traffic problems to justify ultra-high-speed connections, and this investment will help move the project to the next level,” said Inslee. A preliminary review has shown the rail link could generate 1.8 million riders in the first few years, he added.

“It’s based on an optimistic vision of the growth that we’re going to have in British Columbia and Washington,” he said. “We are a world-class community across that border.”

LISTEN: This week on the In The House podcast, Rob Shaw and guest Vaughn Palmer discuss a busy time in B.C. politics, including the final count of the Nanaimo byelection, the auditor general’s look at B.C. Hydro deferral accounts, the legislature being placed under Freedom of Information legislation, and other stories of the week.

Horgan and Inslee have been working together to grow the region’s innovation and tech economy, combat climate change, protect the environment, promote trade and improve transportation connectivity. Collaboration on the ultra-high-speed corridor study is another step toward these shared goals.

Horgan is in Washington state for a two-day trip that includes speaking engagements and meetings with government and business leaders in Seattle and Olympia, including Microsoft and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He will give a formal address to the state legislature on Friday.

Quick Facts:

— A high-speed transportation corridor has been under discussion for over a decade. It could reduce the travel time between Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle to about one hour from three hours with a high-speed train travelling at about 400 kilometres an hour.

— Horgan and Inslee signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2018 to jointly grow the region’s innovation economy, combat climate change and improve transportation connectivity.

— So far, funding partners have contributed a total of US$1.5 million toward the current study, including a contribution of $300,000 by B.C., US$750,000 by Washington state, US$200,000 by Oregon and US$300,000 by Microsoft.

— Washington state released an economic analysis in 2018 that estimated a high-speed corridor link could create up to 200,000 jobs for people in B.C. and the U.S. and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits for the Cascadia region.